Adios, Leigh!

There is a dark downside to the friendliness and the sense of community we develop here: It's hard when someone you care for and consider part of "the family" leaves.

Our magical little corner of the island is, by it's nature, has a large transient population. Tourists come for a week or two; surfers come for a weekend or for the winter; people come from the States on two-week or two-year work assignments; Coast Guard postings change every couple of years. In the time they are here, we get close to many of these people. They become regulars at Ola Lola's. They become part of our extended family.

And then they leave. Everyone who leaves us leaves a little tiny (or sometimes HUGE) hole in the fabric that is our lives.

Last night we said good-by to Leigh. Leigh has been working here for about three months. She and her co-workers at ATI have set up a service that flies once-a-week nonstop flights from "our" airport in Aguadilla to Madrid, Spain. (Next week they are going to start flights to Barcelona as well.)

We surprised her with a full Ola Lola send-off complete with cake and one of Elaine's famous songs, customized just for her. I'm not sure Leigh realized until then just how much a part of the Ola Lola family she had become.

Although she's been many places in the world, Leigh had never tried SCUBA diving. She had her first discover dive with our friend Darryl. The dive didn't start out well when Leigh had a panic attack. As he has done so many times with so many first-time divers, Darryl worked her through it and she was hooked. Just this week she finished her certification; she's now a diver!

When Leigh first got here, she didn't quite "get" Ola Lola's. Now she does. Welcome to the family, Leigh! Come back and visit soon. At least put a little patch on that hole in the fabric.